EPISD already seeking new legal counsel

Less than six months after hiring Linda Samples as its first in-house legal counsel, El Paso Independent School District is looking for her replacement.

Samples, who is expecting her first child this month, did not return calls for comment but district spokeswoman Renee de Santos confirmed she had tendered her resignation effective July 24.

She was most recently employed with local law firm Baskin and Hosford, which represents several local school districts. A Canutillo Independent School District trustee from 2000-2002, Samples makes a base salary of about $135,000.

When making the hire, EPISD officials said they would continue to retain long-time outside legal counsel Mounce, Green, Myers, Safi, Paxson & Galatzan but needed an attorney available to respond to immediate needs. While EPISD will have Samples for nearly three more weeks, it may later have to lean on the outside firm for additional assistance until it finds a successor.

The position will remain open until filled, according to the district job posting.

Dee Margo, president of the district board of managers, said it was too premature to say when a new in-house attorney might be selected.

"We'd like to move as fast as we can but we just opened it up last week," he said. "As soon as we have a pool that's worth looking at we'll take a look at them."

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District staff recommended creating the position and advertising for applicants in October, a move also advised by the Texas Education Agency as administrators and the board of trustees sought to deal with the fallout of a massive cheating scandal.

Among the duties spelled out in the job description for the position, the in-house counsel is to provide legal advice at board meetings, coordinate responses to investigations by outside agencies, monitor proposed legislation, and represent the district in litigation and administrative proceedings.

However, outside attorney Anthony Safi has continued to lead on key issues such as the district's unsuccessful challenge to the installation of the state-appointed board of managers by education commissioner Michael L. Williams. A month after Samples was hired, he represented the district at a February hearing in Austin opposite Texas Education Agency attorneys over the matter.

In May, the board of managers approved budget transfers for $280,000 in legal costs incurred from activities by the previous board of trustees. More than a quarter of those expenses were related to the fight over the board of managers.

Andrew Kreighbaum may be reached at andrew@ elpasotimes.com; 915-546-6127. Follow him on Twitter: @kreighbaum.